T- and B-cell recognition of hepatitis B viral antigens

In the absence of an inbred animal model of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, several laboratories have chosen to study the murine immune response to HBV-encoded proteins as immunogens as opposed to an infectious agent. In this article, David Milich reviews the immunogenicity and the fine specificity of T- and B-cell recognition of HBV antigens, and the genetic influences that regulate these responses. This approach should increase our understanding of immune-mediated viral clearance mechanisms during HBV infection, and may provide the framework for the design of second and third generation HBV vaccines.